This website has been set up by Firebrand fans, for Firebrand fans. Lovers of the delicious artisan breads and pastries can visit to learn more about Firebrand and everything they offer. Please note this is not the official website of Firebrand Eatery and Bakery.

Bread baked on the premises

All the bread and pastries sold at Firebrand, Oakland are baked in a wood-fired brick oven, baked fresh every single day. All the flour and grain used is locally sourced, as are the ingredients used in the delicious meals they serve.

Firebrand is a community driven bakery. It’s a truly fascinating place to visit, it’s as much an experience as it is a dining venue. You can actually watch them bake all the sumptuous breads and delectable pastries right there in front of you. Then of course, you can buy them, fresh and warm straight from the oven.

Firebrand has grown from strength to strength

When Matt Kreutz first opened Firebrand back in 2008, it was just a small bakery with four employees. They became popular with farmer’s markets at first and then the word spread. Top chefs soon got to know about these truly special bread products and started to put in their orders. Soon they were supplying some fine dining restaurants with all their baked goods, restaurants such as Michel Mina. Then grocery stores wanted to stock their products, and so it all took off from there.

The very first bakery was in West Oakland, while it worked well at first, but as the business grew, the small premises just weren’t large enough for the level of production that was being demanded, to supply the restaurants, the farmers markets and all the grocery stores. So they moved to new, bigger premises in Uptown Oakland. While the first premises was just a bakery, the new premises had way more space for new ventures, and so a retail outlet was added into the plan, and also a dining area where delicious fresh meals could be served to the public. Expanding beyond baked goods into serving meals, then led on to the development of the outside catering part of the business and even classes to teach the public more about baking bread and pretzels.

Delicious breakfasts for early birds

If you love to eat out for breakfast, then you can pop along to Firebrand any time between 7:00am and 11:00am for a tasty choice from the Firebrand breakfast menu. Everything is made to order and it’s all fresh and seasonal. Highlights include the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich, this is made with home made breakfast sausage, a fried egg, honey salted biscuit and cheddar cheese. You can choose to have this with breakfast potatoes, or a side salad if you want something a little lighter. Or how about the crispy pork and jam sandwich? With this you get a generous helping of braised pork shoulder, along with a fried egg, a honey salted biscuit and a big dollop of home made blackberry jam. This too is served with your choice of breakfast potatoes or side salad. You can have a vegetarian version of either of these dishes, just ask and they’ll replace the meat with an extra egg for you. If you don’t fancy anything quite that filling first thing in the morning, there are also some great smoothies available.

Some great options for a tasty lunchtime treat

Visit Firebrand between 11:00am and 3:00pm and you’ll get to sample the wonderful lunchtime menu. It’s not a huge menu, but every single dish is make with love and cooked to perfection. Vegans have a real treat on the lunchtime menu with the vegan veggie sandwich. So tasty, it’s certainly not just vegans that pick this dish for their lunch. This sandwich is made with walnut wheat bread and filled with roasted red peppers, heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, grilled squash and spinach pesto. It’s really is absolutely delicious. Meat eaters might like to opt for the superb Kobe roast beef sandwich. Server on a Kaiser roll, you get provolone, caramelized onions, red onions, greens and a good helping of piquant horseradish sauce.

Afternoon dining at Firebrand

There is also a small selection of dishes available on an afternoon at Firebrand. This menu is available from 3:00pm to 6:00pm Monday to Friday and from 2:00pm to 6:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays. There are just four dishes available. You can go for the Cobb Salad that is packed full of ingredients and is certainly one of the most filling salads you’ll ever taste. In this salad you’ll get cherry tomatoes, applewood smoked bacon, romaine lettuce, blue cheese, hard boiled egg, chives, tarragon, apple, sour dough croutons, radishes and avocado. All smothered in a decadent Champagne vinaigrette.

For a lighter meal you can opt for the Kale and Quinoa salad. This is packed full of fruit such as mandarins, grapefruit, pomegranate and golden raisins. Toasted pecans give the dish a lovely crunchy texture and this is served with a sweet blood orange vinaigrette.

If you’re feeling as if you need some comfort food, then try the Man and Cheese. Made with a blend of four cheeses and a wonderful bechamel sauce with smoked paprika, it is topped with crunchy toasted breadcrumbs and parsley.

Finally, there is always the Soup of the Day. This soup changes with the seasons and makes a great appetizer or stand alone meal.

A drink with your meal?

If you’d like a glass of wine or a beer with your meal, then you have some great choices at Firebrand artisan bakery. They serve a selection of Rudi Wiest German wines, they have been specially picked to pair well with the items served on the menu. These wines are well known for being of both a high quality and of a reasonable price.

There’s also a good selection of craft beers to choose from. From Faction Imperial Stout to Fort Point Park Wheat, there’s something to tickle everyone’s taste buds on the beer menu at Firebrand.

Firebrand will cater for your event

If you’re throwing a party or putting on a corporate event, then you can’t go wrong with Firebrand outside catering. You just need to order 24 hours in advance, or if you want a large bread or pastry order, then 48 hours notice is required. They have a massive list of pastries for you to select from. It’s almost too long to choose from! Delicacies include poached pear Danish, Black Forest ham and cheese croissant, double ginger cookies, pretzel sticky buns, goats cheese pretzels, blueberry vanilla scones and many more. You can have breakfast or lunch catered for, with some tasty choices on the menu for both, whether you want sandwiches, salads or mac and cheese, you’ll find something delectable for your event. They can provide tea and coffee, beer and soda for your event too.

Ever wanted to make your own bread?

A trip to Firebrand is enough to make anyone want to become a baker, and the great thing is, Firebrand will teach you! They don’t just keep their secrets to themselves, they’re happy to share them with you on one of their courses in bread making and pretzel making. The course take place on the premises in Oakland, and with classes of just 8 people, you know you’re going to have a great experience. The classes last for two hours and are a mixture of theoretical and practical demonstrations and practice. You can go as a private group, which is great for small parties, and they also offer gift certificates. That would make a unique and unusual gift for anyone with an interest in baking. The classes are taught by no other than Colleen Orlando, one of the co-founders of Firebrand Artisan Breads.

Firebrand Artisan Breads are committed to charity

Firebrand collaborate with several local charities. They support:

Farming for Hope, a non-profit organisation that helps get people into work in the catering industry.

Teen Challenge, a non-profit that helps to give people with problems a fresh start.

Bike East Bay, a venture that promotes cycling in the local community.

Oakland Grand Prix, a major cycling organization in North California that does a lot of work promoting cycling in the community.

An on-site art gallery

Firebrand also have spaces within their premises for local artists to display their work. Painters, photographers and mixed medium artists are all welcome to get in touch and display their artwork on the walls at Firebrand. When you visit Firebrand Artisan Breads, be sure to check out the artwork on display on the walls. It changes regularly so there’s always something new to see, and you might just discover and artist you really love the work of.